He's a Ravenclaw
by jamesandlilypotter81
Summary: Lily's been stood up by her date to Hogsmeade, and she isn't too pleased. Determined to make a point, Lily does something she never thought she'd do. And she thinks she may have gone too far.


He's a _Ravenclaw_

Lily tapped her fingers against the wooden table, watching as other Hogwarts students laughed and drank, enjoying themselves. Frankly, at that point, she hated them all. It was as if they all were taunting her, making fun of the fact that she was the only seventh year alone and unhappy—rubbing it in her face that there was no point in going to Hogsmeade if your friends _and_ date ditched you. She wondered why her fellow students could be so cruel as to actually enjoy themselves when she so obviously wasn't, and more importantly, why this sort of thing only happened to _her_?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Severus sitting at a table near hers, engrossed in a conversation with several other Slytherins. Perhaps had it been another time, she'd spend the day with him. But those days were long gone, and she ignored him instead…which he didn't seem to mind anyway. Lily found herself sighing.

What bothered her the most was that Ben actually had the _nerve_ to stand her up! 'Meet me at the Three Broomsticks,' he had said. Promised he'd be on time. But he sure as hell wasn't on time judging from the hour that had passed since he was supposed to arrive. James bloody Potter would never have stood her up…

Perhaps Ben was stalled for a good reason, a more rational part of her reasoned. Perhaps on his way to Hogsmeade he had been stopped by a frantic Flitwick who needed Ben's help for something involving the Charms club…Or perhaps Ben had finally succumbed to his exhaustion and was fast asleep somewhere. After all, he did say he hadn't slept lately because he was studying.

Lily looked over at Severus's table again—mostly out of sheer boredom, she reasoned with herself—and noticed something odd. Someone looking remarkably like Ben was locking lips with that Hufflepuff girl who's name Lily tended to forget. Ashley? Lindsey? Slaggy?

Lily stood up, and began walking towards the boy who looked remarkably like Ben and Slaggy. When she passed by Severus, he gave her an odd looking smile that normally would have made her laugh, but she was too busy thinking about the possibility of Ben having a twin he had never mentioned to notice.

She was just about to discover who the Ben-clone was when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and heard a _very_ familiar voice. "Always thought he was a prat. Besides, he's a _Ravenclaw_. You can do better, Evans."

"And by better, do you mean you, Potter?" Lily asked, turning around and giving James bloody Potter a glare. The bespectacled boy just grinned, and Lily noticed that for once, he wasn't flanked by his three cohorts. From his table, Severus scowled, something Lily took great pleasure in ignoring.

"Well, no, but now that you bring it up, it is a fair point. C'mon, Evans. Ignore the tosser and spend the day with me." Lily frowned and turned to look at the Ben-clone, and realized he was no clone; Ben had stood her up for another girl. Her first instinct was to just go back to the castle, to call it a day. Her friends were with their dates and her date clearly wasn't interested. The best thing to do was pretend it never happened by sitting in her dormitory, reading a good book and eating chocolate…

Her second instinct, however, was to show Ben-the-prat that she wasn't hurt by his horrible treatment of her. That she was too strong to be reduced to books and chocolate because a boy decided he would spend the day exchanging saliva with Slaggy. Of course, the second option required her to spend the day with Potter…

Her brain was screaming for the logical first option, but it seemed it wasn't working properly, because the words that came out of her mouth weren't her own.

"You know what? That sounds lovely."

"Oh, come on, Evans, just one date won't kill y—wait, what?" James asked, clearly in shock.

"I said yes. Please don't make me regret it." James laughed and shook his head.

"Of course not! Okay, uh, what d'you want to do?" Lily laughed at his sudden change of demeanor. He had gone from the perfectly suave Casanova to a nervous wreck with just a few words. She wondered if he'd ever get over the shock of hearing her say yes. For a brief moment, Lily turned to look at Ben and Slaggy one last time, still feeling a sting. It was anger from how little Ben seemed to think of her, and also embarrassment. She wondered just how many people had seen Ben with Slaggy, engaging in a war of tongues; she wondered how many people would be discussing it tomorrow behind her back. She seemed to be a wonderful topic of discussion ever since her falling out with Severus back in fifth year—new rumors about her kept cropping up each day.

"I know how to get back at him," James suddenly whispered in her ear. Lily found herself shuddering, but she chalked it up to her _surprise_ at finding James so close, not because of the fact that he _was_ close.

"Is that so?"

"Leave it all to me," James said. Then, without bothering to let her even protest, he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to the table where Ben and Slaggy were sitting. "Oi, Patterson, heard you got thoroughly trounced by Fredricks during Ravenclaw's Quidditch tryouts. She's like a what? First year?" Ben pulled away from Slaggy and gave James an annoyed look, not even noticing Lily—something that irked her to no end.

"First years can't play, _Potter_. And I gave it to her." James grinned.

"Yeah, sure. How many times did you have to practice that line in the mirror before you managed to sound halfway convincing?" Lily felt James give her a nudge, and she knew she had to say something. This was her chance—James had given her a wonderful opening. She leaned against James and grinned slightly—and perhaps a bit nastily. In her defense, Ben was an utter git.

"Oh, I don't know, James. Ben is quite the talented liar." Ben blinked up at her, and then gave her a cheeky grin.

"Hey, Lily! You're finally here! I've been waiting for a while now." Lily raised an eyebrow, but James seemed take the comments personally. His hands tightened into fists, and a flash appeared in his eyes.

"You bastard," James hissed. Lily, though surprised by the ferocity of James's reaction, remained calm. She took James's hand in her own and smiled genially.

"Oh, James, you can't get mad at Ben for doing exactly what we did. He stood me up for her," Lily pointed to Slaggy, "and I ditched him for you." Ben's eyes narrowed.

"What?" he said angrily. Lily shrugged.

"It's just—I've been wanting James to ask me to Hogsmeade for ages. When it looked like he wouldn't, I said yes to you. But when it came down to a choice between the two of you…well, James is a much better kisser." Later, when thinking back on it, Lily would decide that it was then that her brain shut down completely. Without preamble, Lily stood on her tiptoes and kissed James full on the mouth—all to prove a point.

And worst of all, she found that she quite liked the sensation of his lips on hers.

When they pulled apart—James looking a little bit dazed—Lily grinned at Ben. "Well, have a good day!" She turned to walk away, James by her side, when she stopped and looked back. "Oh, by the way, I never caught your name." Slaggy looked at Lily in surprise, but she answered.

"Elizabeth."

"Right. Well, see you later, Elizabeth. Sorry again, Ben."

Once they were out of earshot, James stopped her and gave her a curious look. "What did you ask her that?"

"Ask who what?"

"Ask Elizabeth for her name?" Lily frowned before she remembered who he was talking about.

"Nothing really. I just didn't know who she was."

"What, you want to get back at her?" James asked, and Lily was almost sure she heard a hint of sadness in his voice. She looked at him and shook her head.

"No. It's just that I really needed to learn her name." James looked confused, so Lily sighed and elaborated. "I've always known her by a name I'm not quite proud of, and well, I honestly don't think it would be appropriate for me to slip up and call her 'Slaggy' in front of someone." James blinked and then he let out a booming laugh.

"You know, Evans, I can't decide if I enjoyed kissing you or finding out you've always known Elizabeth as 'Slaggy' more." Lily rolled her eyes, and despite herself, she laughed.

"Well, I'd think it'd be simple to decide." James grinned and nudged her shoulder.

"I don't quite remember the kiss. Perhaps we should try it again?" Lily found herself turning a deep red, but she chalked it up to the heat of the pub, not because of what James had said.

"You wish, Potter."

"Oh, I do, Evans. Everyday."

**So, I'm having a great deal of trouble with chapter 27 of Frustration, and writing this was much, **_**much**_** more fun. So, uh, sorry to everyone waiting on that, but in the meantime, enjoy! **


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